Evanston’s ballot guide: Here’s every race on the primary ballot for GOP, Democrats

Illinois primary elections will be held on Tuesday, March 19, and there are several marquee races on this year’s ballot at both the national and local levels.

The obvious headliner is the presidential election, which seems almost certain to become a rematch between incumbent Joe Biden and predecessor Donald Trump – barring the legal challenges against Trump that are headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. A Cook County Circuit Court judge on Wednesday ordered Trump’s name removed from the Illinois ballot, but the order is on hold while his team appeals, and he remains on the Republican primary ballot.

Further down are several important offices in the Cook County and Illinois legal systems. These include an open race to succeed retiring Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, a challenge to incumbent Clerk of the Circuit Court Iris Martinez, and a contest for one of Cook County’s three seats on the Illinois Supreme Court.

This article details each race appearing on Evanston’s Democratic and Republican ballots, including candidates’ names, ballot numbers, basic biographical information and links to campaign websites or other sources of information. Names and ballot numbers were sourced from the Cook County clerk’s “Your Voter Information” webpage in the tab named “What Is On My Upcoming Ballot?”

The RoundTable has also published a separate voting guide with information on registering to vote, early voting hours, poll locations and more, which can be read here.

Races are ordered by ballot number, and incumbents running for a new term are marked with an asterisk* following their ballot number, e.g. Joe Biden (#1)*. Notes are added for candidates who have dropped out but will still appear on the ballot.

Federal Elections

President of the United States

Democratic Party

• Joe Biden (#1)*, incumbent president since 2021, former vice president and U.S. senator from Delaware.
• Dean Phillips (#2), congressman representing Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District since 2019.
• Marianne Williamson (#3), author and former “spiritual adviser” to Oprah Winfrey, previous presidential candidate in 2020. (Williamson suspended her campaign on Feb. 7, but then “unsuspended” it on Feb. 28.)
• Frank “Frankie” Lozada (#4), events producer and entrepreneur with no prior political experience.

Republican Party

• Ryan Binkley (#1), pastor and businessman with no prior political experience. (Binkley suspended his campaign on Feb. 27.)
• Ron DeSantis (#2), governor of Florida since 2019, former congressman representing Florida’s 6th Congressional District. (DeSantis suspended his campaign on Jan. 21.)
• Nikki Haley (#3), former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, former governor of South Carolina.
• Donald Trump (#4), former U.S. president, businessman from New York.
• Chris Christie (#5), former governor of New Jersey, former U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey. (Christie suspended his campaign on Jan. 10.)

U.S. representative, 9th Congressional District

Democratic Party: Jan Schakowsky (#11)*, incumbent congresswoman since 1999, former state representative from 1990-1998.

Republican Party: No candidate.

Delegate to the National Nominating Convention, 9th Congressional District

Learn more about how the National Nominating Conventions work here.

Democratic Party (vote for seven)

• Delegates for Joe Biden: Hoan Huynh (#21), Laura Fine (#22), Daniel J. Montgomery (#23), Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (#24), Christopher J. Dunn (#25), Josina Morita (#26), Dawn Koenigsknecht (#27)

Republican Party (vote for three)

• Delegates for Ron DeSantis: Thomas J. “T.J.” Brown (#21), Matt Podgorski (#22), John Powers (#23)
• Delegates for Donald Trump: Jason P. Cerni (#24), Julie Cho (#25), Susan K. Sweeney (#26)
• Delegates Nikki Haley: Dan McConchie (#27), Morgan Beaudoin (#28), Anna Steinberg (#29)
• Delegates for Chris Christie: Gary Vandenbroucke (#30), Barbara Sjodin (#31), Daniel Zagorscak (#32)

Alternate Delegate to the National Nominating Convention, 9th Congressional District

Republican Party (vote for three)

• Delegates for Ron DeSantis: John Foley (#41), Jeff Kinsey (#42), Dan Vosnos (#43)
• Delegates for Donald Trump: Bernadine Hossfeld (#44), Maureen E. Huff (#45), Jaime Milton (#46)
• Delegates for Nikki Haley: Milena McConchie (#47), Melanie Peterson (#48), Isaac Shiner (#49)
• Delegates for Chris Christie: Joseph Odice (#50), Robert Roenke (#51), Clint Finch (#52)

(Note: Per the Chicago Sun-Times, Trump’s delegates “have been certified and would still be free to vote for Trump at the Republican National Convention” regardless of whether Trump is himself struck from the ballot.)

State Legislators and Cook County offices

State Representative, 17th District (6th Ward, west of McDaniel Avenue)

Democratic Party: Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (#71)*, incumbent state representative since 2019, former director of the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic.

Republican Party: Jim Geldermann (#71), entrepreneur and digital ministry leader at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Glenview.

State Representative, 18th District (remainder of Evanston)

Democratic Party: Robyn Gabel (#71)*, incumbent state representative since 2010, Majority leader of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2023.

Republican Party: Charles Hutchinson (#71), private attorney in estate planning, former board president of the Wilmette-Kenilworth Chamber of Commerce.

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Commissioner – Full 6-year term (Vote for 3)

Democratic Party

• Sharon Waller (#81), licensed environmental engineer and principal at Sustainable Systems, a Chicago-based environmental consulting firm.
• Kari K. Steele (#82)*, incumbent commissioner since 2013, board president since 2019, career chemist in water treatment.
• Marcelino Garcia (#83)*, incumbent commissioner since 2018, director of community affairs at Cook County Health.
• Daniel “Pogo” Pogorzelski (#84)*, incumbent commissioner since 2022, vice president of the 38th Ward Democratic Organization in Chicago.

Republican Party

• Claire Connelly (#81), account manager at Surus Illinois.
• Richard F. Dale (#82)
• Brendan Ehlers (#83)

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Commissioner – Unexpired 2-year term

Democratic Party: Precious Brady-Davis (#85)*, appointed commissioner in July 2023, northeast communications director for the Sierra Club.

Republican Party: R. Cary Capparelli (#84), online professor of geography and geo sciences at South Dakota State University, former board member of the Illinois International Port District.

Clerk of the Circuit Court

Democratic Party

• Iris Y. Martinez (#91)*, incumbent court clerk since 2020, former senator and assistant majority leader in the Illinois State Senate.
• Mariyana T. Spyropoulos (#92), incumbent MWRD commissioner since 2010, former Cook County assistant state’s attorney.

Republican Party: Lupe Aguirre (#91), real estate attorney and Chicago police officer, previous candidate for Cook County sheriff in 2022.

State’s Attorney

Democratic Party

• Clayton Harris III (#93), Public policy professor at the University of Chicago, former executive director of the Illinois International Port District and Cook County assistant state’s attorney.
• Eileen O’Neill Burke (#94), former Illinois appellate judge, former private defense attorney and Cook County assistant state’s attorney.

Republican Party: Bob Fioretti (#92), employment and civil rights attorney, former alderman for Chicago’s 2nd Ward.

Judicial Vacancies

These races are for judgeships in the Illinois Supreme Court, Illinois Appellate Court and the Circuit Court of Cook County. The RoundTable recommends voters read the “Check Your Judges” voter guide published by nonprofit news outlet Injustice Watch, which includes information such as experience, notable stories, community involvement and campaign contributions for each candidate. There are no Republican candidates running in any of the judicial elections Evanston will vote in, so this list is only for the Democratic Party primary.

Judge of the Supreme Court (Vacancy of Burke)

• Joy Virginia Cunningham (#121)*, appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court in December 2022, former Illinois appellate judge and general counsel to Northwestern Memorial Healthcare.
• Jesse G. Reyes (#122), incumbent Illinois appellate judge, former Cook County circuit court judge and attorney for the Chicago Board of Education.

Judge of the Appellate Court, First District (Cook County)

Vacancy of Connors: Mary Lane Mikva (#131), assigned Illinois appellate judge since 2016, former Cook County Circuit Court judge and private attorney in employment law.

Vacancy of Cunningham

• Cynthia Y. Cobbs (#132), assigned Illinois appellate judge since 2015, former Cook County circuit court judge and director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.
• Carolyn J. Gallagher (#133), Cook County Circuit Court judge in the Probate Division, former private attorney focused on commercial litigation.

Vacancy of Delort

• Celia Louise Gamrath (#134), Cook County Circuit Court judge in the Chancery Section, former private attorney in family law and appeals.
• Leonard Murray (#135), Cook County Circuit Court judge supervising the Housing Section, former associate circuit judge assigned to evictions and civil jury trials.

Vacancy of O’Neill Burke: Carl Anthony Walker (#136), assigned Illinois appellate judge since 2018, former Cook County Circuit Court judge and private attorney primarily focused on real estate.

Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County

Vacancy of Flannery, Jr.

• Pablo F. deCastro (#141), private attorney in criminal defense and civil rights, panel attorney with the Federal Defender’s Office representing indigent defendants in federal criminal trials.
• Chelsey Renece Robinson (#142), private attorney in several areas of law, legal consultant for the “Judge Mathis” TV show.

Vacancy of Gaughan: Corinne C. Heggie (#143), appointed Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2023 in the Traffic Division, former private attorney in probate and estate law.

Vacancy of Haberkorn: Sarah Johnson (#144), appointed Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2023 hearing small claims and other civil lawsuits, former private attorney in medical malpractice and product liability law.

Vacancy of Hubbard: Deidre M. Dyer (#145), appointed Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2023 in the Traffic Division, former deputy supervisor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Vacancy of Maras: Arlene Y. Coleman-Romeo (#146), appointed Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2023 in the Municipal Department, former private attorney in civil rights, labor and employment law.

Vacancy of Mitchell

• Neil Cohen (#147), appointed Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2023 in the Chancery Division, former associate circuit judge in the Chancery Division.
• Wende Williams (#148), private attorney in criminal defense and personal injury law, former defense attorney with the Colorado Public Defender’s Office in Denver.

Vacancy of Murphy

• Lori Ann Roper (#149), Cook County assistant public defender currently supervisor the felony trial division at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
• Edward Joseph Underhill (#150), appointed Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2023 in the Traffic Division, private attorney in foreign business law.

Vacancy of Propes

• Debjani “Deb” Desai (#151), appointed Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2023 in the Traffic Division, former general counsel at the Illinois Office of the Comptroller.
• Russ Hartigan (#152), private attorney in mediation and arbitration in civil litigation, former Cook County Circuit Court judge in the Law Division.

Vacancy of Raines: Jennifer Patricia Callahan (#153), appointed Cook County Circuit Court judge since February 2024 in the Traffic Division, former private attorney in criminal and civil defense law.

Vacancy of Sullivan: James S. Murphy-Aguilú (#154), appointed Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2023 in the Traffic Division, former chief of staff to Clerk of the Circuit Court Iris Martinez.

Vacancy of Walker: Chloe Georgianna Pedersen (#156), appointed Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2023 in the Traffic Division, former private attorney in civil litigation and labor law.